How to prepare your kids for the Spring/Summer sports seasons!
This is one of our favourite times of the year, when the days start to heat up but a gentle cool breeze keeps everything balanced out. If your family is preparing for the Summer sports season, this is the best time to make sure you have everything covered. You want your kids to be feeling their best, competing their hardest and enjoying themselves as much as they can.
We’ve been working on putting together some tips for Mums and Dads this Spring, to keep in mind as we move into the hotter months!
1. Avoiding Injury
Make sure you get your little athletes into a proper strength and conditioning routine. They’re going to be running themselves out fast when they start weekly Soccer or Footy practice! Keeping up regular strengthening exercises with Mum or Dad can make a world of difference.
If you don’t want to go too intense, you can always just encourage them to do a few sit ups and push ups every morning. Remember, strengthening isn’t about turning your kids into mini Schwarzeneggers! It’s about building muscle reliability, not bulking up.
Flexibility is the best defence against pulled or torn muscles, and careful warmups/cool downs are a must. No matter what sport your kids play, your calves and hamstrings will be particularly important. It can be as simple as setting aside 10 minutes to stretch before and after a practice or a game, to loosen up and give the muscles a breather!
Core Strengthening is another biggie. You’d be surprised at how much hassle can be saved by ensuring that your kids are building solid core foundations. There are some great exercises that you can do at home, including Bridging and Wheelbarrow walking. The best thing about these is that the kids will have a ball and you can pitch it as a fun game.
We know that a good sportsman is better than his gear, but when it comes to injuries, sometimes the right pair of shoes can be all you need to avoid the waterworks and a painful injury.
2. Choosing The Right Gear
There’s a number of checks you can do to make sure you’re choosing the best shoes for your kids. To really take care of their feet, you want to look for a pair that have a firm heel counter. This insert helps to support the foot and keep it firm and correctly positioned inside the shoe, protecting the arch.
You want a shoe that bends across the toes, and doesn’t collapse across the arch and the middle of the foot. Flexibility without compromise is the key! The heel to toe difference on the shoe sole is crucial. Your kids might feel happier in their new Vans or Converse, but their flat soles aren’t going to do any favours when they’re getting active. They might be great for staying right side up on a skateboard, but those shoes don’t belong near any other sport!
Don’t forget, when you’re buying a new pair of sports shoes, you don’t want them to be too snug! Kids feet grow at an alarming rate, so you want to keep some space for that big toe to stretch out a little. The old rule of thumb is an actual rule of thumb; make sure there’s enough space between their big toe and the shoe for an adult thumb to fit in! This will not only keep their feet safe – it will make the shoes last longer too!
If you have a really little one, don’t worry too much about shoes when they’re running around. As long as they’re in a safe environment where they won’t cut their feet, going barefoot can be the best thing. It can help their growing feet and legs, as it will allow the muscles to build much needed strength.
3. Signs Of Injuries
You want to be keeping a careful eye out for signs of injuries too. Any parent knows that kids don’t always communicate what’s bothering them, so a little vigilance and some careful questions won’t go amiss. If your kids are limping, hopping or trying to minimise pressure on an area, there could be some pain and mild injury. Take note of how they’re walking and whether they lean heavily on one foot over another!
If they’re trying to avoid active play (and it’s not just to have a go on the iPad) or insisting on being carried, it could be more than tiredness. Muscular weakness is hard to spot, but if they aren’t up to their favourite activities, that could be a warning bell.
Don’t forget to watch for heat, redness or bruising in a localised area. This kind of pain can be slower to show itself, but it will ruin any child’s day when it happens.
4. Better Safe…
You can often reduce the impact of potential injuries or get in early to fix them by seeking advice as the sporting season gets underway! The best time to see a specialist is before a problem arises. Advice from a Biomechanics Podiatrist can help you choose appropriate shoes for specific sports, give you a detailed analysis of your kids’ posture for core strength and engagement and establish a daily stretching routine that your family can make a part of your every day schedule!
The most important thing to remember is that your kids’ safety comes first. No matter how much they want to push themselves to keep playing or practicing harder, if you spot a sign of injury you should act quickly. A sports injury may not be immediately obvious to the child themselves, so if you see something, take care of it.
With the right gear, the right exercises and the guidance of a specialist, there’s no reason your child can’t have the time of their life this Spring/Summer!
To book your kids in now, contact Live Active!
p: 02 8073 3337
e: info@liveactiveclinic.com.au